2013 MERCEDES-BENZ ML 350 BLUETEC VIN 4JGDA2EBXDA211187

This entry is for a 2013 Mercedes-Benz ML 350 Bluetec. Power reaches the wheels through an automatic gearbox. The engine is a 3.0-litre diesel unit with six cylinders. Every figure for this car is given as it appears in the source data.

The recorded mileage is 125,252 miles. Miles and kilometres are easy to confuse, and a distance in miles looks lower than the same distance in kilometres. Gaps of several years between logged figures deserve attention, as does any reading lower than the one before it. Older figures usually turn up on service invoices, inspection reports and past title paperwork.

The main issue noted for this car is minor dents and scratches. Whether the damage has been repaired since, and how well, is not something a damage entry can show. Given the kind of damage entered, a mechanic should look first at the paintwork and whether any dent has reached the metal underneath.

When checked, the car could be started and driven under its own power. A key was there when the car was checked. A condition note describes the car at one moment; months of standing or later work on the car can change the picture in either direction.

The car carries a clean title. Such a title means no salvage, flood or similar mark was recorded against the car; it does not rule out damage repaired without a claim.

Behind every used car lies a string of events: who owned it and for how long, what the inspections found and which repairs and claims were made. A car’s past rarely shows on the paintwork: a well-repaired accident or water damage that was dried out is easy to miss.

Regular oil changes and timely work on the timing belt or chain decide how well an engine copes with age. A diesel particulate filter needs regular longer drives to clean itself, so the way the car has been used matters as much as its mileage. Automatic transmissions, CVTs included, are expensive to repair, so the test drive should include pulling away from a standstill and a stretch at motorway speed.

The ninth character of the VIN is a check digit calculated from the other sixteen, so a mistyped or invented number does not add up. For this car, the VIN is 4JGDA2EBXDA211187.

Where entries exist, a VIN check can show changes of owner, past mileage readings, reported damage and whether the car is listed as stolen. A professional inspection makes sense whatever the paperwork shows, because no report measures corrosion, worn bushes or a poor repair. A history check on VIN 4JGDA2EBXDA211187 is the place to start.